Children of the Forsworn
by A Kiss Before Dying
Summary: Post-Eragon. "The Forsworn were never supposed to be more than thirteen." HIATUS - SEE PROFILE


**DISCLAIMER: **I own nothing except my own characters. All other plots, locations, people and storylines are copyright to Christopher Paolini.

This is a far cry from my other _Inheritance Cycle_ story, "A Paler Shade of Misery." If you haven't read it yet, I suggest you pop on over and check it out, because updating for this story may be a bit slower than usual—I got a little ahead of myself and decided to start on this before finishing my first 'Eragon' fanfic, but I really wanted to deviate from the norm a little bit with this one and write about the Forsworn as I interpreted them to be. At this point, my almost non-existent plotline follows the events that took place immediately after "Eragon," starting from when the Twins capture Murtagh and bring him back to Galbatorix.

Thanks for reading my story; reviews are much appreciated, but mostly I hope you enjoy it.

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**PROLOGUE**

_"BEFORE THEY WERE KINGS"_

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The Forsworn were never supposed to be more than thirteen.

The men who made up Galbatorix's trusted circle of dragon riders were forbidden to do anything that would ultimately compromise their positions of power. Their vicious quest for unopposed authority left little room for them to feel the simplest of human emotions: freedom, affection, happiness.

But some passions are hard to control, and in the end, more than one heart was lost to love.

Morzan, the first of the Forsworn, was also the first to fall. His attraction to the peasant woman Selena went far beyond the physical realm; he lusted after the ability to manipulate her into doing what he wished, and all for the meaningless expense of his attentions.

Blinded by an unrequited affection, she proved to be the perfect spy. No one would have suspected a simple farmwoman to do the twisted biddings of one of the most powerful, corrupt legions in Alagaësia, but Selena was capable of far more than many gave her credit for. Morzan was the marionette, and she was his puppet.

It was of little surprise when Selena first began to show signs of being full with child, because no one else knew. Morzan saw her pregnancy as just another means to an end, and nothing more. He locked Selena away in an effort to hide her pregnancy, but little is kept hidden from King Galbatorix's prying mind.

After Selena gave birth to her first son, she left him to the care of wet nurses and immediately returned to Morzan's side, but not before giving her child a name that would later become synonymous with fear and hatred throughout Alagaësia.

They named him Murtagh, and he was the first son of the Forsworn. The first, but ultimately not the last, for there was another who challenged Galbatorix's authoritarian rule and soon became captivated by one of the ladies of the King's own court.

His name was Falthain, and he allied himself with Galbatorix after his wife and child were slaughtered in an Urgal raid upon his hometown of Daret, many years ago. Seeking revenge, he abandoned his duties as a dragon rider and joined the ranks of the Forsworn with his dragon at his side.

His heart, steeled against the despairs of life, was shown kindness once more, many years later, when he met Melina.

She was one of the ladies of Galbatorix's castle, a seamstress at the time of their meeting, and to Falthain, she was beautiful. Curly black hair framed her round face, which was never void of a warm smile, and her shapely form was always dressed in the finest of outfits. Falthain's own lean, muscular frame and dirty blonde locks, coupled with his piercing blue eyes and charming demeanor, drew Melina in almost instantly. Despite the tenuous circumstances in which they met, both lovers knew they needed each other; neither could live under Galbatorix's possessive, power-hungry regime without some tiny sliver of returned affection.

They frequently met in secret, but their fondness for each other did not go unnoticed for long when Melina began to show the telltale signs of pregnancy. However, fate's cruel hand acted against Falthain before the King himself could, and like all other members of Galbatorix's twisted alliance, Falthain and his dragon were ultimately killed by the combined efforts of Brom and the Varden.

Suicide or madness claimed the rest, and the Forsworn soon became a distant memory. If not for the legacy of their children, they still would be.

Melina never learned of Falthain's true cause of death; the day came when he simply stopped visiting her, and his presence merely vanished. Heartbroken, she gave birth alone, in the cold confines of the King's castle, and her children's names were the last words she would whisper before death claimed her.

Galbatorix, knowing that Melina had been carrying Falthain's offspring, kept the twins hidden inside the borders of his domain for years to come. They were tutored by various scholars in the ways of magic, swordsmanship and the interpretation of runes, but otherwise kept isolated from everyone except each other.

Like Murtagh, they never even knew that there was another like them—another who bore the same tainted blood. Another descendant of the Forsworn.


End file.
